I disagree with the statement of X4 being a spacesim more than a strategy game.
I feel its the exact oposite, but with a few caveats:
1) early game you’re pretty much stuck flying a ship, so yes, in this phase it might come across as being a space sim first and foremost.
Go mine crystals to kickstart your funds and you’ll be rocking a small fleet before you know it.
2) the game takes quite a while to get you going. Everything gets hauled in real time and every resource needs to be physically transported.
The game’s economy needs a dozen hours or so to get settled after a new start. Patience.
3) once you have explored sectors, got a plan on where lucrative deals are (most production chain stations are randomized on each start) its time to settle down and the game can be played more and more like a 4x / strategy / tycoon game.
Start building your own stations and fleets and its time to start tilting the faction scales to make it your galaxy one step at a time.
You can run your empire from the mapview in theory.
4) Patience! Did I already say you need it? No? Well you do. Gotta have lots of it as well.